


What Are We Waiting For?

by clslovegood47



Series: Lovesquare Week 2019 [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: But still really fluffy, Chat Blanc - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, Pre-Relationship, Season 3 Spoilers, Season 3 finale spoilers, They'll figure it out, post-reveal, two dorks in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 22:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21399907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clslovegood47/pseuds/clslovegood47
Summary: Two years after Chat Blanc, Marinette and Adrien try to navigate their feelings for each other.This is Day 6 of the Miraculous Lovesquare Fluff Week 2k19.(Prompt: Napping)WARNING: This fic contains both Chat Blanc and Season 3 Finale spoilers.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Lovesquare Week 2019 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537171
Comments: 17
Kudos: 285





	What Are We Waiting For?

**Author's Note:**

> This is Day 6 of the Miraculous Lovesquare Fluff Week 2k19.  
(Prompt: Napping)  
\----------------------
> 
> I cross-post on FanFiction.net and on Tumblr.
> 
> Tumblr: gryffindorcls
> 
> Fanfiction.net: clslovegood47
> 
> \----------------------
> 
> I own nothing but the plot.

**Day 6: Napping**

Adrien yawned and stretched his hands behind his back. He was exhausted. Unfortunately, he wasn’t just physically drained, but he was mentally spent, as well.

Last night had been difficult. His father once again kept him from an outing with his friends. While it was something that he was used to, he was getting tired of having to sit alone in his room practicing piano or learning Chinese for hours on end. All he wanted was to exist as a normal teenager. He was seventeen now, and he wondered when his life would finally change for the better.

The frustration piled even higher this time because he knew that Marinette would be there. Sure, he had the chance to see her when they were galavanting across the rooftops as Ladybug and Chat Noir, but it’d been days since he’d transformed. Ever since they had accidentally timed out in front of each other after a particularly difficult Akuma attack, he’d sought out every possible opportunity to spend time with her. Not being able to see her always put him in a sour mood.

When they discovered each other’s identities last year, Ladybug had cried. He’d been so worried that she didn’t want him as a partner anymore. Adrien closed his eyes and the image of her tear-stained face flashed across his mind.

_“Ladybug...Marinette...I don’t understand. Please tell me what’s wrong,” he pleaded._

_ She looked at him and choked back a sob with a smile. “Everything and nothing…that’s what’s wrong.”_

_ He hung his head. “You’re sad because we have to give up our Miraculouses. I should have looked away. I messed everything up.”_

_ “God, no. I’m the Guardian. Who am I going to give my Miraculous to? No one. I’m Ladybug. And you...don’t you dare put yourself down. YOU’RE my Chat Noir, and I trust you...oh, I trust you! I can trust you! Thank God...that makes so much more sense. Of course, you wouldn’t have told anyone...you’re wonderful. I knew something wasn’t quite right.”_

_ “I still don’t...does that mean you’re happy?”_

_ “Chaton, I’m relieved. I thought I couldn’t trust you again...not after...I can’t...not today...and then I gave you up because I thought…”_

_ “You’re not making any sense right now.”_

_ “There’s so much that you don’t know, and honestly I don’t understand everything either. But what I do know...Chat...Adrien...I’m so happy that it’s you.”_

_ “Then why are you crying? And what do you mean you gave me up?”_

_ “Adrien, I’m glad you found someone who loves you. Things are starting to make a little bit more sense now. When Bunnyx took me to that place...well, I had no idea what she saw in that other timeline. She wouldn’t tell me.”_

_ “Bunnyx? When was she here? What happened?” His head was reeling._

_ “You kept saying it was our love...oh, my God...you loved me. You really loved me. We must have figured it out...and...and…”_

_ “I’ve always loved you. I don’t understand.”_

_“There must have been a time when we were happy. It can never be, but maybe I can rest better knowing that it could have been wonderful. It’s too risky for us...Hawkmoth must have figured it out. I just don’t know...there are still so many missing pieces. Adrien, you deserve happiness...someone who can freely love you right now. It broke my heart to leave that day, but you have her. That’s what matters. You have someone.” She buried her head in her hands and sunk to the ground._

_ He ran to her side and pulled her into his arms. “Ladybug...I’m still confused. Who are you talking about? What happened? When were we happy?”_

_ “Last year, I did something, and then I saw...you were Akumatized, but I fixed it. You knew who I was...I was so confused. It’s such a long story, but it led me to believe that I couldn’t be myself around you...well, Adrien you...so when I saw you with Kagami...you looked so happy. I left. It broke me, but I had to let you go.”_

_ “Are you talking about Kagami? Oh, Marinette, I never...we never...I couldn’t. I was never ready to be with her. She got tired of waiting. My heart has only ever belonged to you, my lady, but I thought you were with Luka.”_

_ She pulled away and met his gaze. “My lady...I missed hearing you say that. Poor Luka. Sweet, kind Luka...he’s wonderful, but he’s not the one. He’s not you.”_

_ “Wait, are you telling me that I’m ‘the one’? I was the boy you were in love with?”_

_ “No, my feelings aren’t stuck in the past. I am in love with you, and I always will be.”_

_ “Then let’s be together now. My heart has only ever beat for you. We could be happy. We could make that happen.”_

_“No, Adrien we can’t. We never can. Not until he’s gone. Otherwise, everyone will be in danger. You didn’t see what I saw. I can’t...we can’t...you don’t know how badly I wish it weren’t this way, but we have to protect everyone. I have to protect you. I’m sorry.”_

_ At that moment, his heart wanted to shatter, but one burning question still lingered in the back of his mind. “If we defeat Hawkmoth, could we be together?”_

_ Ladybug didn’t answer right away. The small sliver of hope inside of him was beginning to fade._

_ “My lady?” he asked with desperation lacing his voice._

_ “Yes,” she whispered through a breath._

_ “Then I will wait for you until the end of time.”_

_ “Oh, Chaton.”_

It had been a year since the accidental reveal, and Marinette had become his best friend. They slowly learned how to talk to each other and trust each other with everything. Seeing each other outside of the masks proved to be a challenge, but he cherished every second he spent with her. There had been countless nights where one of them would transform and sneak into the other person’s room. They continued to patrol regularly, but they took extra time to hang out when they were done.

When school let out for the summer, Adrien feared that his time with Marinette would decrease drastically. Usually, his father had him travel abroad for various events and photoshoots. He couldn’t bear the thought of going days or weeks without seeing her; however, when Marinette landed one of the coveted junior internship positions at _Gabriel_, he’d been thrilled. While they didn’t see each other every day, it was more than he’d anticipated.

Yesterday had been filled with work and tutoring; as a result, his only interaction with Marinette had been a goodnight call. It’d been two days since he’d seen her in person, and it was making him irritable. He couldn’t wait for today’s shoot to finish so he could rush over to her house and spend some much-needed quality time with her.

“Mr. Agreste?” a voice called, pulling him out of his reverie.

He shook his head. “Mr. Agreste is my father. Please...my name is Adrien.”

In front of him stood a young woman with a smug expression who hugged a clipboard against her chest. “Okay...uhhh...Adrien. I came here because there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Is it an emergency? I have to be back on set in five minutes, and I was hoping to get some coffee. The photographer told me that I was looking droopy.”

“Uh...yes. It’s important.”

He sighed and flashed her a polite smile. “Okay. What’s up?”

“So, I wanted to bring it to your attention that one of the _other_ interns is asleep in your trailer.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“That black-haired intern with the pig-tails is asleep on the couch inside of your trailer.”

_“Marinette,_” he thought, trying to suppress a chuckle, “_I wonder what she’s doing here. She’s supposed to have a day off today_.”

He cleared his throat. “Okay, so I’m guessing that you’re also an intern. May I ask what _you _were doing in my trailer? Interns usually aren’t allowed in there.”

She looked taken aback. “Well, _I_ was told my the lead designer on set to get the red jacket that was hanging on the rack in there...unlike someone else who is obviously in there without permission.”

Adrien nodded. “Sounds great! Thank you. Where’s the jacket?”

“Oh, I...uh...left it there. The girl startled me, and I ran all the way here to tell you what I saw.”

“I see. Could you do me a favor then?”

She perked up and moved closer to him. “Sure, _Adrien_.”

He took a step back. “Yeah...could you grab my jacket from the trailer and bring it here?”

“Wait...what about the girl?”

“Oh, right..._her_. Could you make sure that you don’t wake her up when you go in there? Thanks!”

Adrien could hear unintelligible noises come from the intern as he walked away. He did his best not to laugh as he took his place on set and readied himself for another two hours of posing.

Unlike the first half of the photoshoot, he found himself feeling much perkier with the knowledge that Marinette was waiting for him. He was practically vibrating by the end of his session with the photographer.

The second he was released from his modeling duties, Adrien rushed to his trailer. He ran up to the door and paused before quietly stepping inside. He could feel a soft smile form on his lips as his eyes landed on Marinette.

Despite his presence, she continued to sleep soundly on his couch. Her head rested on a soft, blue throw pillow, and she clutched a small package against her chest.

His heart swelled when she released a small sigh and a contented hum. Sometimes, Adrien was shocked by just how much he loved her. While he knew that he would do anything for her, he was still often overcome by how strong his feelings were.

Each day, Adrien held his heart in an outstretched hand in the hopes that Marinette would finally accept it. Despite her hesitation, Adrien knew that she loved him just as much as he loved her. She was the day to his night, and he was the sun to her moon. Their souls had been created together at the beginning of time. She completed him, and he knew that they were made for each other.

Adrien knelt on the ground next to her sleeping form and brushed a stray hair away from her face. She breathed deeply when his finger lightly grazed her forehead. Marinette’s eyes fluttered open.

“Adrien?” she asked groggily.

He smiled. “Hey there, Princess. What are you doing here? You should be at home. I was planning to come and visit you today.”

“I didn’t want to wait. I was hoping to catch you on your break.” Marinette reached out and cupped his cheek.

He happily leaned into her touch. “Is there a reason why you didn’t want to wait?”

“You sounded sad on the phone yesterday, so I made you something. I was...uhhh...up a little late, and your couch was comfortable. My head felt fuzzy, so I closed my eyes for a few minutes. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. You needed the rest.”

“I was surprised to see that you had a trailer this time. Usually, the models just get a tent.”

“Yeah, it was a bigger shoot this time, so they got me a trailer. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s nice when it does. My lady, did you walk all the way here?”

“Umm...yeah.”

“Marinette, you didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to. You sounded so upset last night, and I hate it when you’re upset. I couldn’t wait to give you this.” She sat up and held out the package she’d been clutching against her chest. “It’s not much, but I just wanted you to smile.”

Adrien carefully took the package from her hands and opened it to reveal a small hamster plush attached to a keychain. “It’s adorable, Marinette. I love it!”

“I remember you saying that you always wanted a hamster...just like I do...and I couldn’t get you a real one, so I was hoping that this one would be a good substitute.”

Adrien could feel hot tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. Unable to contain his emotions any longer, he choked back a loud sob. Within seconds, Marinette was on the floor next to him with her arms wrapped around his shaking body.

She rubbed one of her hands up and down his back. “_Chaton_, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

He pulled away and shook his head. “Everything is wrong. What are we waiting for?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Marinette, I love you so much it hurts. Anything that keeps me away from you frustrates me. I want a future with you. I want to get a hamster with you and love you and be by your side every day. I don’t understand why we can’t.”

“Adrien...I...we _really _can’t. There’s Hawkmoth, and…”

“Screw, Hawkmoth! What does he have to do with us?”

“YOU DIDN’T SEE WHAT I SAW!” she screamed, scrambling away from him and reducing to a puddle of tears in the middle of the floor.

“Then _tell me_. What did you see? Help me understand.”

“It still gives me nightmares, _Chaton_. You don’t need them, too.”

“I need you.”

“Adrien..”

“_Tell me_,” he urged.

She held herself and sobbed. “When Bunnyx came and got me, everything and everyone was gone. You were alone, but you knew who I was. You called yourself Chat Blanc, and you said our love destroyed the world. When I learned your identity last year, I finally figured out that we also must have figured out each other’s identities in an alternate reality. Hawkmoth was there, too, and I don’t know what happened. However, I do know that there is...was...a timeline where we were together and in love...but the world almost ended.”

“But it’s not the same situation. It won’t happen like that again. That’s not how time works. The circumstances are different this time. It wouldn’t be the same.”

“How do you know that? Hawkmoth is still out there. If he found out anything...our identities or our relationship...he could use our love against us. How are we supposed to stay safe if we’re together?”

“We could keep it a secret. No one has to know.”

“What?”

“You’re afraid of us loving each other in the open. My lady, none of those other people matter. You’re the only one who matters. Let me love you behind closed doors...away from prying eyes. It’ll be just us and only us. We can belong to each other and no one else. Then when Hawkmoth is gone, we can be free to show our love to the world.”

“I don’t know.”

“You are my everything. You’re the center of my universe. Marinette, please. I don’t want to waste any more time. You once told me that you trusted me. I will _never _let anything happen to you...to us. Let me prove that to you. Now that we know, we can do our best to avoid what you saw. _Please_...unless you don’t love me anymore. If you don’t, I’ll go away, and I promise I’ll never ask you again.”

She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and moved next to him. “I’ve loved you since the day you gave me your umbrella. I tried giving you up so you could find happiness, but I never stopped loving you. You’re my everything, Adrien. My heart feels incomplete without you, but it’s afraid of losing you. I’m scared.”

He reached out his arms and she willingly fell into his embrace. “It’ll be okay, my lady. I promise.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we’re Ladybug and Chat Noir. We can overcome any obstacle as long as we’re together. Just you and me against the world.”

A long silence permeated the room. Adrien’s heart pounded against his chest as uncertainty crept into his brain. Nonetheless, the small sliver of hope in his soul remained ignited.

“Okay,” she whispered into his neck.

His breath hitched. “Okay? Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Yes. As long as we’re careful. No one can know....just us.”

“Anything, my lady..._anything_. As long as I can love you the way you deserve to be loved, I’ll be content.”

Marinette’s hands made their way to the back of his head where she played with the hair around his neck. “You’re right. I think we’ve waited long enough.”

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.”

“It’s not going to be easy, _Chaton_.”

“It never has been, my lady.”

“How are we going to do this?”

“We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Marinette pulled away and smiled. “Well, in that case, I love you, Adrien Agreste.”

Adrien leaned in and rested his forehead on hers. “And I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng…forever.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
